


Rhythm of 8

by InkWitch (serkestic)



Category: Free!
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, First Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-08 09:36:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5492375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serkestic/pseuds/InkWitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Do you remember that day we met in the rain?<br/>It felt like something was about to happen.<br/>Something big. To the both of us.</p><p><b>[</b>Two quiet people learn to say <i>I love you</i> <strike>and fail</strike>.<b>]</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	Rhythm of 8

**Author's Note:**

  * For [teletou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/teletou/gifts).



> [♫](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yh-NuWpHzU) ♪ ...♫ [♪](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SngtlTzmzL0)

 

 

 

 

 

> part one:  
>  Do you remember that day we met in the rain?

 

 

Water splashed under his footsteps and she whipped her head around when her name was called out. He was taller. Even as she held her umbrella a bit higher than usual, his head would bump against it and he would duck, smiling when she couldn’t stop her giggles tumbling out.

The rain had slowed to a drizzle as they approached the station, a few people sprinting through it. A cool wind blew into their faces, loud as they were quiet, and her nose tickled. He sneezed. She looked up at him sideways and found his eyes on her scarf, blue like her umbrella, wrapped snugly around her neck.

“I head the other way, here,” he said.

She blinked. All she could focus on was the droplet hanging desperately to his earlobe, growing bigger and more desperate as rain trickled from his wet hair. She reached out without thinking and his eyes slid back to hers.

“Ah,” she said. Even to her ears, she sounded lame. “Okay then. Will we see each other at _daigaku_?”

Haruka glanced down at her and stepped back. Aki tilted her umbrella back and grinned.

“Bye bye, then,” said Aki. Her skirt waved airily around her legs and she twined her hand into the warmth of her scarf.

Haruka raised his hand and called, “Bye bye,” already turning away from her. His footsteps sounded _slap! slap!_ as he walked away, purposely stepping into the remaining tiny puddles on the ground. His dark head bowed against the uncertain blue of the sky.

The sun came out, setting the world disturbingly bright.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> part two:  
>  It felt like something was about to happen.

 

 

Kicked-up suns, thought Haruka, lying on his back in a lazy sprawl. The rug underneath him was fuzzy soft and felt like kitten fur beneath his fingertips. When you’re not looking at it, mused Haruka, it wasn’t _that_ bad an addition to the decor. He raised himself on his elbow and sighed at the sight of the rug’s design. Flopped back into a sprawl. Decor was about looking, anyway.

“Haruka-kun, I can hear you judging me, you know.”

“I’m sighing,” said Haruka tonelessly. “You’re hearing that.”

“Sighing in _judgment_.”

She flounced out from behind the screen with a light-green silk scarf in her right hand and a blue-and-purple, _bokeh_ -printed scarf twined around her left arm. Aki leaned over Haruka’s head, semi-frowning and semi-pouting. He closed his eyes against the upside-down image of Aki.

“It has nice colours,” said Haruka, eyes still closed. He could feel her moving closer by the heat on his face. “I’m just questioning your taste in patterns.”

The heat was gone. Haruka opened his eyes in time to see Aki sticking her tongue out at him. He bit back a smile.

“It was cheap and the cutest thing in the market! Anyway, I don’t want to hear that from you. You bought that awful bird matryoshka and _everyone_ found it creepy.”

“It looked like Iwatobi-chan,” said Haruka matter-of-factly.

“Your obsession with that mascot…” sighed Aki. She was half-behind the screen again; she came out holding a bright-red silk scarf and wrapped it around her neck. Then she cocked her head at Haruka.

“It’s not right, is it?” she asked.

He considered her, propping himself up on his elbows. Her shoulder-length hair curled over the scarf, looking dark against the bright colour. That signature single-braid was longer than the rest of her hair and was tucked under the twine of the silk. It was a vibrant colour, that sunset red, and Aki became a play of pale, dark, bright while wearing it. He sat up properly, holding onto his knees.

“No,” he said. “It’s not right.”

Aki huffed and went back to rifle through the scarves and Haruka wondered if he was not being a little unhelpful. It wasn’t something he could help, though. Aki had asked him to be honest and the only colour he really liked on her was white.

“It’s already colder, you know,” he called out. “None of those are warm, so it’s not as if you can wear them.”

Aki leaned against a chair. She looked down at the light-blue silk in her hand, running her fingers along the hem. “I know.” She smiled, looking up at Haruka. “But I want to wear one anyway. It feels weird without a scarf around my neck.”

Kicked-up suns, Haruka thought again, gripping his forearms tightly and resting them on his knees. That’s what it looks like when time speeds up. In movies, on television, the sun flies across the sky like a football, sinking into the horizon and rising in the same breath. He hadn’t noticed his time speeding up, but that is what happened.

A year ago, he would be sitting across a table and thinking about how much silence was alright around Yazaki. Now, he put his chin on his forearm and gazed at Aki’s arm, pretty and tan against the lighter colour of the scarf. It felt a little weird to be here, at all.

“I could make you one,” he said.

Aki looked up with wide eyes. The ends of her hair rested on her naked collarbones, curling inwards. Haruka’s eyes were drawn helplessly to them.

“Ah, really? Haruka-kun, you really don’t have to…! Yuuki-chan’s nee-chan said she’d give me any one of these for free, after all. Don’t worry…”

“I’m not worried,” said Haruka. “That’s not what this is.”

An immense need to close his eyes pulled at him. Aki comes over and knelt before him, her knees between his feet. She grinned that wild, sunflower smile and he closed his eyes. “Do you want to make me something?”

 _Yes_.

He’s not going to say it though.

 

 

 

 

When Aki pushed herself out of the pool, pulling her goggles off with a _snap!_ she found herself surrounded by a pack of her friends. ‘Pack’ was a very appropriate word to use in this case. The identical smirks on all three of their faces practically screamed ‘ganging up’. She sighed and grabbed Yuuki-chan’s proffered hand to pull herself into a stand. Yuuki-chan grinned at her, somehow managing to look smug and apologetic at the same time.

“If you’re going to start on what I think you’re going to start on,” said Aki. “You had better not start.”

It was a sad thing that girls were just not impressed with the threatening tone in Aki’s voice that would send boys it was directed at scurrying in ten different directions. Yuuki-chan pressed into Aki’s side, throwing an arm around her shoulder and steering her forcefully.

“Well, see, Zaki-chan,” Yuuki-chan started, blatantly ignoring Aki’s subtle glare. “We’re all _curious_ and you’re being pretty coy, so we’ve decided to simply trap you until you give us answers!”

“How exactly are you planning on holding me hostage?” asked Aki dryly. “We’re in a public pool area.”

“I’ve taken your keys,” said Maiko-chan with an air of nonchalance. She winced as Aki’s astounded gaze landed on her but a fist in the back by Satomi had her straightening her backbone. “So Zaki-chan can’t leave without first talking to us!”

Aki directed a ‘look’ towards the demure girl smiling in determination at her. “Satomi! I can’t believe you’re going along with this.”

“It was my idea, actually,” coughed Satomi indelicately. “We’re curious.”

“You’re nosy.”

“Oh, come on, Zaki-chan,” said Yuuki. She loosened her grip to slip her hand into Aki’s, squeezing gently. “We’re mostly kidding around but, we honestly do want you to talk to us about this. Especially if it’s important to you.”

Aki cocked her head at them, accepting the towel that Satomi held out to her. Her cheeks were slowly reddening, as she knew they would; she could never control her expression about things like this. She rubbed her hair dry and proceeded towards the changing rooms with a sigh. Her friends apparently took that as a sign of acquiescence because they exclaimed in delight and followed.

“What is there even to say?” complained Aki, studiously not looking at any of their faces. “I’m not doing anything particularly out of the ordinary…”

“You spend all your breaks between classes in the common lounge with him,” said Satomi. “And all you do is _knit_ together.”

“He brings you _bento_ ,” put in Maiko-chan, “and it’s always incredibly pretty.”

“Zaki-chan, you literally spent an entire hour watching him draw ducks and koi in a pond instead of studying for your quiz,” stated Yuuki.

“Okay, irrelevant, I’d already studied for that quiz earlier,” protested Aki vehemently. “And of course he brings me _bento_ , he’s the better cook anyway. And. Well.” She bit her lip, trying to force her blush down, but from the looks on her friends’ faces it clearly was not working very well. “We’re making each other some things. That’s all.”

“Valentine’s day was a month ago, though,” mused Maiko-chan.

“ _Anyway_ ,” said Aki forcefully. “I don’t see where you all are going with this.”

Yuuki and Satomi exchanged glances and Maiko-chan just sighed. Satomi took Aki’s hand in hers.

“It’s pretty simple,” she said.

“We were going to tease you a bit more, but I guess we can cut it short,” grinned Yuuki.

“Zaki-chan, are you in love?” asked Maiko-chan.

Aki’s eyes widened and she looked incredulously at three moon-pale faces watching her expectantly. She gripped Satomi’s hand and let go with a jerk, shaking her head with a distracted sense of doom as she watches smiles appear on their faces.

“What on _earth_? No!! _No_ , of course not! In _love_? We only met each other barely a year ago!”

“That’s hardly true,” protested Yuuki. “We went to the same shōgakkō.”

“Well, re-encountered! You know what I mean.”

“Maybe you two reunited a year ago,” mused Satomi. “But you’ve dated for how long? We can’t even tell, really. It seems like things started right off the bat.”

“Satomi, don’t be so—”

“And Zaki-chan seems happiest only when she hears from him,” said Maiko-chan. “It’s plain on Zaki-chan’s face.”

“I don’t—”

“Is it so tough to figure out if you’re in love or not?” asked Maiko-chan. Aki stopped spluttering and stared. Her hands clasped together tightly.

They were just curious, Aki knew that. But there was this strange hunger to their curiosity, and Aki could see that too; in their eyes, in their small, unsure smiles. They’d never been in love. They wanted to know what it looked like.

They thought it looked like her.

She felt heat pass over her face as she looked down to avoid their gazes. “I can’t… give you the answer you want. I haven’t started thinking about things like this. I don’t know if I’m in love. But I know—”

Aki looked up directly. She knew her face was red. But she smiled anyway. “I like Haruka-kun a lot. I like how we are with each other.”

“ _Sappy_ ,” said Yuuki, making a face and Aki burst out laughing, knowing fully well that Yuuki was embarrassed. Satomi slipped her hand back into Aki’s and smiled her gentle smile, her head tilted up to gaze thoughtfully at the ceiling. Maiko-chan was already sighing, no doubt romanticizing Aki’s straightforward answer.

“We should all go out sometimes, together,” said Satomi. “Nanase-kun, you, and also Tachibana-kun. They have another close friend you know, don’t they? I think we met him back in chugakkō.”

“Yamazaki-kun? He’s not very sociable…”

“Still,” grinned Satomi. “We should all go out together. No need to be shy around pretty girls like us.”

“Nii, if there ever was a girl to be shy around…”

“I’m hurt! Zaki-chan means that jokingly right, or—ah. Your phone just buzzed.”

Yuuki went back to teasing Satomi while Aki reached into her locker and pulled her phone out. She swiped it open to show two messages in her inbox. One was from her brother, texting to ask when she would be free to video-call him on LINE. The other was from Haruka.

Aki bit her lip and shuffled closer to her locker.

‘Hey. Do you want to have dinner at my place? I’m going to try out this new recipe. Come over after practice, if you want to.’

He’s so cold over text, thought Aki, her heart rising as if filled with helium.

“Ah—ah!! Zaki-chan has that _look_!”

She stiffened and closed her phone quickly, turning around with an embarrassed smile. “Maiko-chan, don’t be silly.”

“That was from him, wasn’t it?” asked Yuuki, grinning slyly. Aki rolled her eyes.

“Yes. I’m going to go now. I’m having dinner at his.”

“Ahhhhh~!” chorused Yuuki and Maiko while she ignored them and packed up with efficient speed. Satomi fell into step beside her as she waved goodbye and headed towards the entrance.

“Haven’t started thinking yet, huh?” she said.

“Shut up,” said Aki.

 

 

 

 

It was apparently very clear on his face how disgruntled he was because Rin burst out laughing with one look at Haruka. Haruka resisted the urge to close the call on him and answered a sulky “it’s nothing” to Makoto’s yelled query from the kitchen. It didn’t work though: Rin muffled his laughter with his hand and Makoto and Sousuke sauntered into the room and settled on cushions behind him. Sousuke placed a box of pocky beside Haruka’s phone on the table and casually slid one into his mouth.

“You always look like a kid denied candy when you’re sulking,” commented Sousuke airily.

“You can shut up,” said Haruka.

“What is it, then, Haru?” asked Rin, still giggling a little. “Are you passing the course or is Oni-sensei failing you?”

“Rin! You should stop calling her that!” protested Makoto.

Haruka sighed heavily and loudly. “She gave me another assignment. A final one, to cover up for the other assignment I… missed.”

His friends were too attuned to his speech to miss the slight pause; Sousuke scoffed and Makoto patted Haruka’s arm in solidarity. They all knew how much he’d agonized over The Assignment — as Rin liked to say, in capitalized emphasis — but all those nights of crouching over the most delicate stone sculpture of Northern Stoplight Loosejaw-kun had all been in vain. Tsutsumi-sensei would have given him few marks for his subject matter anyway, even if the jaw hadn’t been broken on the way to the studio. Haruka will forever hold rambunctious freshman in intense dislike and suspicion.

Rin gasped. “Don’t say it’s another sculpture. She really must hate you.”

“She’s a pusher,” said Sousuke lazily. He said ‘pusher’ in English, so it came out drawled, _pushaa_. They all stared at him.

“…Oh my god, did you actually watch the movies I recommended to you?” said Rin.

“Yes, why wouldn’t I,” replied Sousuke, his neck flushing. “I told you I’m trying to improve my English before the trip, didn’t I? God, Rin, such little faith.”

“He’s already better than me at it,” laughed Makoto. “He spoke to some international students completely in English and it was great, they could talk and everything. He’s working really hard, Rin.”

“Thanks for the input, Makoto,” deadpanned Sousuke; but Rin was grinning happily, proudly, so the snark fell flat. “But we’re talking about Haru now. What did the Oni-sensei think up for you this time?”

“A sketch,” said Haruka.

There was a stretch of silence that could be very easily sliced with a thin knife. As it happened, Sousuke bit through his pocky stick and the long end fell to the floor with a soft _tap-tap-tap_. Makoto and Rin tilted their heads in confusion.

“Are you _worried_?” said Rin. “What the heck? Haru, you can sketch in your _sleep_.”

“It’s bigger than that, isn’t it, Haru?” asked Makoto.

The only person in the room with the easy talent of drawing out information from him, like he was fishing for it. Haruka would be irritated but his mind was whirling and his heart was beating uncomfortably. It was already taking a large effort to not let his emotions show on his face.

“She wants me to do a character study,” he answered. He pushed himself away from the table and leaned against the sofa that Makoto and Sousuke were resting on. “Of someone I can ‘discover something new’ from.”

“I still don’t see the problem,” said Rin. “Just draw one of us! It’s not like you don’t do it all the time.”

This was a good point. Haruka had filled several sketchbooks with figure sketches, anatomy practice, charcoal figures, using his friends as models. Even Gou had posed for a few of his drawings in highschool, but most of those concentrated on her hair and action lines, Rin directing a heated glower whenever Haruka would think about female figure drawing. Haruka had often wondered if Rin wasn’t the one with telepathic powers, instead of Makoto. At least, when it came to Gou.

He could do a study of any of his friends, as Rin suggested. He could try to focus on dynamism instead of playing with shadowing like he usually did, just so Tsutsumi-sensei wouldn’t complain about the ‘something new’ he was supposed to learn. It would be easy.

Haruka never liked easy.

And there was someone he had in mind already, anyway.

“I know who to draw,” said Haruka. “I know who I _want_ to draw. But…”

“What is it?” said Makoto at the same time as Rin and Sousuke asked, “Who is it?”

Haruka’s phone pinged loudly and they all flinched. The other three started complaining about changing that _annoying tone already, Haru_ , as he reached forward, flipping the screen open. He stared at the text for a few seconds before flipping it shut again and leaning back.

“Two guesses to who that is,” teased Sousuke. Haruka turned a stony stare on him.

Her words floated to his mind’s eye even as his friends teased him. ‘I bought the CUTEST top today!! It’s this really pretty pale-brown colour too, so difficult to find this shade. Do you want to hang out tomorrow? I can come over; or you can come to my place. OR we can be absolutely radical and go out for once! Exciting adventures await us, Haruka-kun, if you would only stir yourself. Tell me what you want, alright? Bye bye!’

She was so voluble over text. Haruka bit the inside of his cheeks but the smile rose to his face anyway. His friends burst out laughing at the sight.

“Is Zaki-chan coming over today?” asked Makoto.

“No. We’re talking about tomorrow.”

He closed his eyes against Rin and Sousuke’s answering taunts and Makoto’s laugh.

‘Let’s stay in. I have a favour to ask of you.’

 

 

 

 

She brought flowers.

She didn’t know what else to bring, considering how vague his request was. ‘Bring something you like.’ What did that mean? Food? The book she was reading? Pretty stationery? He didn’t even divulge anything past asking her if she’d agree to model for a study in sketching. Aki often felt like flicking Haruka’s forehead.

She greeted him with that when he opened the door.

“Oof!” He took a step back and she stepped in cheerfully, excusing herself. Haruka gave her a lopsided look and she bared her teeth and held up the flowers to cover her mouth. The bright vibrant yellow stood sharply against her dark hair; and in today’s wetter weather, she was dimmer than usual. Haruka glanced down at the sunflowers and back at her with the strangest look in his eyes.

“What?” asked Aki, feeling self-conscious. “You don’t like them? I didn’t know what else to bring.”

“No…” he said. “That’s not it. It’s nothing. Come inside.”

Aki followed him into the largest room in his small apartment: it worked as a living room, a study room and a dining room for him. Books were strewn across the side of the _kotatsu_ , set in the middle of the room. She made a beeline for the _kotatsu_ , but Haruka stepped in her way with a tiny smile.

“I need you to sit on the sofa.”

Aki pouted. He took her hand in his.

“I don’t know what you want me for, you know,” said Aki, feeling even more self-conscious. “You’re so much better at drawing Makoto-kun. You could easily ace the assignment if you drew him.”

He gently pushed her onto the sofa; she curled her legs beneath her, leaning back against the cushions. Haruka handed her the sunflowers she’d brought and he had that look in his eyes again. Inexplicably, Aki felt her cheeks heat up.

“Makoto doesn’t have anything new to teach me,” said Haruka.

_What did that mean?_

Aki focused on the flowers that rested against her knees in lieu of looking at Haruka. She traced the edges of the petals with her index finger, concentrating on how the yellow looked against the drabber banana-yellow of the sofa; it helped distract her from her distracting thoughts about the boy watching her as intently as if her skin had code written on it. She brushed her lip self-consciously.

“Do you know what sunflowers mean?” asked Haruka.

Aki looked up. “In _hanakotoba_?”

“Yeah.” He was focused on the spread of her limbs, apparently, because he would not look up to meet her gaze. It turned thoughtful. Aki tilted her head backwards, glancing to see if that was okay first.

“I’m not sure? I know it has to do with passion… But I don’t remember the exact message it conveys…”

It seemed that Haruka had expected this answer, or was, at least, satisfied with it. He nodded and receded into a comfortable silence. Aki tilted her head back into place slowly, her pinky finger tracing a petal absent-mindedly.

“Why?”

Haruka shrugged.

Aki sighed. Of course she wouldn’t get a straight answer. Were it ever so easy.

But she held her breath instead of pursuing the dangling carrot like her inquisitiveness wanted to. She held her breath and let it out slowly; her breathing became slower and deeper with the passing seconds. Still, Haruka said nothing, only glancing up now and again for reference. They settled into their respective meditative silences as if it were a daily routine.

It was still raining outside. The windows to the left of her, leading to the small balcony, were closed but rain splashed against the glass with a slow _pitter-patter_. The weather sounded like it was breathing too; sound and light mingled into a sepia until Aki looked up, her heartbeat gentle in her chest, to meet Haruka’s eyes.

Aki knew a hundred different shapes to Haruka’s eyes. Aki could make a study on Haruka’s eyes. They had so many layers and shades of blue, depending on the time of day, his level of apathy, and if he was looking at you or off into the distance; she had noted every single one down over the course of relearning him, but this time, up close. Haruka’s eyes were dark blue as he looked at her.

She felt her breathing get stuck in her lungs.

 _My eyes look only to you_.

Ah. So, that’s why.

“I remember now.”

“…Do you want to see the first sketch?”

Her exhale shuddered out but she grinned past it, leaping off of the sofa. The flowers scattered onto the floor behind her. Haruka sighed, handed Aki his sketchbook and got up to pick up the flowers. Aki made a move to follow, and her eyes fell on the page left open. She stared.

 _What do you mean?_ Aki is left thinking that very often around Haruka. Tight-lipped and yet expressive as he was, his thoughts were ever elusive but he wore his feelings on his sleeves, like casual accessories. In contrast, she always felt like the open book with the familiar, boring tale around him.

“What did you learn?”

It came out soft, and frightened. Haruka came up to stand beside her, pressing his shoulder to hers. Aki traced the lines of her arms and the shadow of her hair falling over one shoulder. She thought that it didn’t feel like looking into a mirror. Haruka’s eyes saw something else.

“Well…” A hand slipped into hers and the tightness in her chest strengthened. She looked up. “I’m learning you.”

Haruka’s eyes saw something new.

There was no noise in Aki’s head. A silent echo of her heartbeat resounded in her ears as she reached up; and he was taller, so she had to raise herself on her toes, sling her arm across his shoulder and grab the back of his neck confidently. He leaned down, no expression, and smiled into her kiss.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> part three:  
>  Something big. To the both of us.
> 
>  

 

They missed the rain by barely five minutes. It broke into an instant torrent just as Haruka and Aki ran under the roof of the bus stop, catching the edge of their sneakers. Aki folded her umbrella back with a sigh, shifting into Haruka’s side to avoid brushing shoulders with the irritated careerman next to her. He steadied her with a hand cupping her elbow.

“Of all days,” huffed Aki, stamping her foot. “Of all days for us to be late, it _had_ to be today.”

Haruka tugged her back by the strap of her bag. “It’s alright,” he said, squeezing her arm. “It’s not like Makoto is going to be mad if we’re a little late.”

“It’s his and Rin-kun’s anniversary! _I’m_ going to be mad if we’re a little late!”

Haruka snorted at that, drawing a glare from her immediately. “Relax,” he said, “I’ve already texted him that your class got held up. They’ll start without us, so we’re not inconveniencing anybody.”

She looked up at him and at the small quirk of his lips, sank into his hold with a sigh of relief. Haruka grabbed a strap of her bag and held it up, taking weight off of her shoulder. Aki tugged her scarf over her mouth and slipped a cold hand down to take his own.

“It feels so close,” she said. “But it’s really far away, isn’t it.”

“The rain?”

She gave him a grin. “Yeah. I mean, it’s only drizzling here. But the real storm’s so far away.”

Pithy statements from her always seemed so ridiculously new. Haruka hid his smile behind a hand and squeezed the one he held in his other hand. She shifted closer in response, grinning at nothing in particular. They felt warm together; as if stuck in a bubble, with the pitter-patter of the rain acting like a shield against the bustle of others. Haruka remembered the first day he saw her, as she extended her umbrella to him. She was always doing that. Extending — her umbrella, her hand, her friendship, her kiss. Aki always took the first step.

Haruka cleared his throat. “Hey. So.”

Glancing up at him, Aki tilted her head. His words died in his throat. Her hand came up to tug at her braid, slightly damp from the rain.

“What?”

She’d taken to wearing his gifted scarf as her signature now. Haruka had messed up on the ends and it had taken three tries to get the pattern right, since he’d been rusty with knitting, but Aki wore the semi-raggedy article anyway. It was off-white, creamy and warm, and she liked tugging it over her nose a lot, especially in cold weather. She pulled at her hair and tugged the scarf up.

“Well.”

Why was it always so hard to speak his mind with her? If there was anyone who would understand the incoherent jumble settling like a lump in his throat, it would be her. She was so often the one who felt the same as him: the only difference was, they got to the same point by different paths. She took the road not taken by him.

She’d taken a road to him once before.

He remembered, with a flush of embarrassment, Makoto’s text in the morning. Even in the midst of preparing whatever ridiculous romantic surprise he had thought up for Rin as an anniversary present, he kept Haruka’s confession in mind. Only two words, but it was enough to make Haruka press his cheeks into his palms and curse his friend for reading him so well.

‘Be brave.’

It wasn’t so easy. The worst part was, he knew that Makoto knew that better than he knew it. Haruka swallowed the lump in his throat.

“…Take my towel.”

She looked at him quizzically even as he tugged the article out and handed it to her. She pressed it against her skin lightly, giving him a look over her covered nose. Haruka ducked his head closer to hers. Aki was smiling.

The careerman’s cellphone rang loudly, causing him to shuffle into them in embarrassment as other people gave him looks. They pressed closer, the tattoo of the rain on the roof of the bus-stop matching the tattoo of their pulses. Aki reached up with his towel to wipe water off of his ear, gentle with her movements.

Suddenly, the rain lightened to a drizzle; Haruka looked to the sky and Aki laughed, uncaringly happy.

 

 

 

 


End file.
